


How To Write A Crack Fic

by SapphiresHaze



Category: EXO, Kpop - Fandom
Genre: Art School, EXO - Freeform, Highschool AU, M/M, Short Chapters, bts - Freeform, crack kinda, kpop, literally everyone's there, nct - Freeform, ongoing, toppdogg - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-08 11:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11645727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphiresHaze/pseuds/SapphiresHaze
Summary: Xiumin winds up at a art school and is trying to navigate his new life in a new place. After a couple run ins with Sehun, the schools all so alluring master painter, Xiumin has trouble figuring out just how all the pieces click together. Xiumin ends up throwing Sehun over board into uncharted territory in the art world, Sehun ends up having to relearn what art is with somebody who can't even paint.Too put things simply Sehun is a closet gay head over heels fan boy for none other than popular boy band EXO & Xiumin, well Xiumin just likes to bug him.o





	1. A prologue of sorts

_"So do you write in that everyday?"_

**"You asshole I told you to stop scaring me like that."**

_"It's not my fault you get scared so easily."_

**"I can blame you if I want."**

_"You're the biggest baby I've ever met oh my god."_

**"Hey don't call me a baby and don't try to snatch this journal from-"**

_"Ha snatch god!"_

**"I'm going to throat punch you."**

There's a dozen words to describe Sehun. Distant, moody, too handsome to not cause trouble. He has a very high reputation here at SM high school.

Most of the underclassmen lick the ground he walks on, girls and guys alike offer car rides and party invites on the daily. He is a teachers pet who requires no pampering but gets all of it.

He has an affect that is the point.

Xiumin a transferring junior who is more or less unchanged by his move. While there is that annoying sophomore who's a little snappy.

He's the good guy that is the point.


	2. Roll Call

"Never talk to Jungkook in the morning because he still doesn't know how to control the cologne, and make sure you always give Nakta a compliment when he walks by he always repays favors,"

Mark took in a deep breath before he continued his long and actually helpful speech.

"And don't even try to get cafeteria food on Tuesdays it's gonna be what we all call Sea Slugs. It's where the lunch ladies just dip their hands in the sink and put out whatever they pull up."

Xiumin was nodding his head and paying attention diligently to the entirety of Marks rant. So far Mark was explaining and giving the details that could eventually come in handy.

Doubt Xiumin was ever going to try to eat at the cafeteria to begin with. He'd always been strict about packing his own lunch and eating healthy. Sea Slugs can't be healthy.

The two boys were the only ones out in the hall at the moment and it made everything seem much larger and more intimidating than it actually was.

 _Spring Mornings_ or simply SM as most students seemed to call it, was a arts school. That being said the social pecking order worked slightly different.

Cliques weren't as clique like, what people talked about was the majors. Who was at the top of visual art? What theater student had the lead?

See what I mean? Highly competitive was also another downside to the school. Xiumin could tell because there was contest flyers everywhere and trophies for art awards stacked in dozens of shelfs in the halls.

"Question Mark, what's the hype about this? There's way too many of these."

Xiumin had landed his finger onto a particularly well put together flyer. The words read  _SM's First Tier Tryouts._

Mark stood a few paces in front of Xiumin. He had a proud look on his face when he told Xiumin about Spring Mornings very own and very exclusive show case.

"See the actual show case isn't until the end of the year but it's an all year prep. To get in you have to make it past first tier tryouts which are three weeks from now. You can represent any art form but auditions are different for each major."

"That seems like overkill and slightly toxic to all those who get close."

Mark laughed, patting Xiumins shoulder as they continued the walk down the hall.

"The show case brings in all kinds of publicity and opportunity for the winners. The grand prize is a whopping 999$-"

Xiumin held his hand up to stop Mark mid sentence. A slightly dumbfounded expression across his face.

"999$?"

"It was an artist statement. Now it's tradition."

Xiumin shook his head in amusement but continued to ask Mark questions about the showcase, the school, Mark himself.

"Okay so you've given me some insight. You've given me the low down on everyone Mark. But what about you?"

Mark scoffed, flipped around on his heels so he was facing Xiumin and walking backwards.

"Well I'm the guy that knows everybody and everything. At this point Im a unpaid information broker. Hell give me a pocket knife and a nice hooded jacket."

Both boys laughed a bit before Mark got semi-serious which was as far as Mark could go down that road.

"Oh and be carful of Sehun. He's got everyone hooked on him without even trying. No one gets very close though."

Mark would have continued, given the back story to Sehun but that was cut short when the bell rang.

"Look I gotta go, fucking presenting a journal today. If you need help just tell literally anyone that Mark sent you."

Xiumin didn't have enough time to say good bye before Mark was whisked away into the hundreds of students who had pooled into the halls.

If Xiumin remembered correctly this was fifth period and he had to make his way to creative writing. Him and Mark had already unloaded and packed up everything he would need at his locker at the start of the tour so he was all set.

_"Pretty sure she tried to copy my routine..."_

_"Fuck I'm gonna fail this class so hard..."_

_"Did you see what Seokjin was wearing?..."_

_"No, no, ditch that. Friday Hansol is having a pop up shop at the warehouse."_

The tiny bits and pieces of dialogue that Xiumin picked up were mostly uninteresting typical conversations.

He bumped shoulders with a few people on his way down the hall, his hoodie suddenly felt a little too warm for the August weather but Mark had warned that classrooms blast the AC.

Xiumin placed his small frame in the doorway of the classroom he was sure he should be at. There were a few other students milling about in there.

He hesitated on stepping in, unsure of that was going to be a proper move. With honesty in mind Xiumin didn't care that this was an arts school, he didn't consider himself an artist.

He was here because his mother had a part time job as a receptionist at the school, Spring Mornings offered to go ahead and place him without being on the waiting list.

Xiumins old school was vastly different from this. But moving four cities south and into a over crowded town put him in a tight spot. Schools were packed.

He just got lucky.

"I like your hoodie."

Xiumin turned around to face a boy who stood some good height over him. He had a bit of a monotone voice and a blank face to match.

"Those are lyrics to  _Love me right_ on the back yeah?"

Xiumin taken aback that this guy was able to spot his EXO hoodie so quickly gave a hurried and meek 'thank you'.

"Can you please move so-"

"Oh, right, right, sorry."

Xiumin walked into the classroom taking a seat in the second row. The boy he had talked to in the hall took off his messengers bag before sitting down next to Xiumin.

Xiumin would have tried to start up another conversation when their teacher stepped in.

"No one say anything. First up is roll call and the new guy."

This woman was fast paced, up beat, and just a little loud. Maybe a little intimidating.

"Xiumin please raise your hand."

He followed instructions only to have every head in the room snap to face his direction. His teacher stared him down as well, a batch of unknowing thoughts flowing through her.

"Welp, everyone that's Xiumin he's new be nice. I'm Lee Chaerin. This is creative writing buckle down."

So far no disasters, Xiumin wondered how long that would last. If all his teachers proved to be as eccentric he could see himself enjoying school more.

"Alright ready for roll?"

"Wiseass Wonho?"

Xiumin desperately wanted to question the name but kept his mouth shut.

"Here."

"Narcissistic Namjoon?"

"Here."

Xiumin scanned the room with every name that was called trying to absorb his classmates. Picking up that each student had a memorable word in front of their name to help the teacher remember them all.

"Shithead Sehun?"

"Here."

Xiumin didn't have to try to find where Sehun was sitting. He was right next to him after all.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A start is a start. Chapters will be 800-1500 words, updates every week or so. Thanks for reading


	3. Finger Paint

Xiumin sat in his room with the desk lamp on and a blank canvas staring up at him. He had an array of new acrylic paints waiting to be used.

His mother had decided that if he was going to an arts school he would actually have to participate in the whole art part of that equation.

She bought him enough supplies to last a good half of the school year.

Xiumin had very little experience with visual art which was he major he had chosen. Most memories of him painting or drawing resided with coloring books, sloppy finger paintings and doodles of cartoons from when he was younger.

He picked up a brush, quickly dipped it in his jar of water and let himself hover over the paint. He didn't know how this was supposed to go.

Was it supposed to go any way?

With a timid dab into the blue paint he began leaving strokes on the paper. Small lines that ran together and created something that looked similar to waves in water.

Xiumin continued to do this with all the colors. Not sure where his creation was heading but liking the calming nature the repetitive action brought.

His brush was creating a simple inward spiral with all the colors. A rainbow soon blooming and embedding itself onto the fibers of the canvas.

"I would say abstract but gay is more appropriate-"

"Xiumin are you talking to yourself again?"

Xiumin sighed and flicked his temple, habitat he had whenever he got embarrassed or annoyed. In this this case both.

"No mom! I'm just...singing."

He got up to shut the door to his room. Turning the knob before the door hit the the frame, he was trying to be quite.

Once he was back at his desk he felt a discontent feeling that he could not shake off. He settled on the fact that he didn't like his painting very much.

He pushed aside the canvas wanting it to dry. He pulled out paper to work with this time. Not wanting to waste his limited canvas.

_Bing!_

Xiumin flipped over his phone eager to see who had texted him _._ He was surprised to see it was Mark asking if Xiumin wanted to come to a pop up shop.

Xiumin didn't know what that was though and had to ask Mark. Lucky for him Mark was kind and didn't make fun of his lack of art kid knowledge.

Xiumin came to understand that a pop shop was pretty much just a party where kids sold art and traded with each other. This week it was Hansol and Seokjin who were hosting one and apparently there was also going to be some sort of fashion show.

With a bit of hesitance Xiumin agreed to go. Mark only responded with some links to a instagram.

Upon opening the first link Xiumin got to see photos of a very handsome looking guy and his sewing kit. Lots of pictures of his sewing kit.

From what Xiumin gathered this guy hosted a lot of fashion shows in some warehouse where a lot of the art school hung out. Him and a few other guys had their own line of t-shirts, hoodies, and even jackets.

The second link was Hansols instagram. Xiumin knew because his watermark was on all his paintings and photos. He was a water color artist, he had a on going mini zine that he printed as well. There was only one picture with Hansol in it, he had on a lot of bold makeup and was staring the camera dead on.

He had a fierce but cute look Xiumin decided.

Xiumin leaned his head back over the desk chair and wondered how these people had time for all of this.

"What's that?"

Xiumin jumped his mother's entrance unexpected and unknown to him. He caught her gaze trapped on his paintng.

"Oh I was just messing around with the paint trying to get used to it. I don't think I like how it came out though."

His mother waved her hand in a dissmising manner. She went to sit on her son's bed tucking her skirt underneath her knees.

"You know your grandfather was a painter."

Xiumin swivled in his chair to look at her directly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he did pastels, oils, had a lot of finger paintings-"

He found himself smiling and asking why a grown man would finger paint.

"I think it's because that's what he felt. He always used to say art is simply feeling. So if he wanted to finger paint he did. If he wanted to paint a landscape with watercolors he did."

Xiumin hummed in response unsure of what to do with that. His mother took note of his reaction and searched for something else to say.

"It took him a long time to come that conclusion. Just put onto the paper what you feel and eventually you'll have your style. Don't stress it too much. I know you."

Xiumin grinned and pointed his finger at her.

"And I know you."

His mother only rolled her eyes. Once she had left his room Xiumin dipped each of his fingers in the paints. Curious as to what it'd be like to finger paint once more.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole fashion show in a warehouse thing is what the art kids actually do here in my city. They all up there wearing clothes and smokin and shit. Pop up shops to. Anyways here's chapter 2.


	4. Ready To Be Painted

It was Thursday, one more day until the pop up shop where Xiumin was planning on meeting lots of new people and getting adjusted to the social network at SM.

Currently he was in the studio painting at school. Everyone had a free period to work on what they preferred.

The studio had eight easels arranged in a circle. In the center was a pedestal that Xiumin assumed was for models and other desired objects.

A industrial sink was placed to the far left wall of the room. Above it was a set of cabinets that contained paint, brushes, pallets, and mason jars for water. The backdrop behind the sink was covered in small black and white tiles.

Quite a few art pieces hung on the wall. Most of the work was high quality and Xiumin admitted it was intimidating. He had no real skills yet when it came to art, all the students here did. The walls themselves were painted a deep maroon that Xiumin found himself praising.

Hansol a recognizable face sat one table over from Xiumin. His nose scrunched up in concentration, brush delicately placed in between his fingers, precise dabs and stokes being placed onto the canvas.

Sehun was also there. He sat across the circle from Xiumin. All of his brush strokes seemed very confident. It was like Sehun didn't need to put any effort into how or where his brush landed.

He worked efficiently. Brush going into the water, swiped on the paper towel, and back into the paint. Sehun was quite mesmerizing just to watch.

"What you looking at?"

Xiumin found Hansol grinning at him, a mischievous glint laced into Hansols eyes. Xiumin was rather embarrassed he had been caught staring though.

Xiumin lowered his voice not wanting Sehun to stare or catch him whispering about him.

"Just...he does this all so effortlessly. I don't have any experience really when it comes to painting and it's-"

"Breathtaking? Discouraging? Incomprehensible?"

Xiumin huffed out some laughter at the all too pleased look Hansol had on his face.

"Don't worry about it really. Hes him, you're you. Besides it all takes practice. He is really good at it though. Unnaturally good actually."

Xiumin nodded in a understanding way.

"That's what I keep hearing."

He reached his hand out to Hansol wanting to properly introduce himself.

"I'm Xiumin by the way."

Hansol let out a string of 'Ooo' sounds, a delighted smile coming over his face.

"I heard about you from Mark. He thinks you're really nice and too handsome for any good."

"Yeah? He gave me a tour yesterday. He wasn't too bad at it either, I thought it was weird cause he's a freshman."

Hansol had turned back to face his panting but he showed his agreement with Xiumins statement by nodding his head.

"Mark has his ways of getting around rules."

Hansol seemed ready to continue talking but suddenly seemed concerned about something else. He wiped his hands clean on the apron and reached into his jean pocket pulling out his phone.

"Ah, I gotta go. I have to met up with someone. But you coming to my pop up tomorrow?"

"Definitely, Ill see you later then?"

Hansol agreed and also handed his phone number over to Xiumin. He packed up his canvas, cleaned his brushes, and hung up his apron on the wall. Right before Hansol left he waved to Xiumin and let out a high pitched good bye.

Xiumin sat at his stool unsure of how to approach his canvas. There were only a few streaks and lines on it that didn't really have anything in them other than Xiumins uncertainty.

He thought maybe he should talk to Sehun. He looked up to see what Sehun was doing, when his eyes met the already staring Sehuns gaze he smiled and stood up to walk over.

"Can I see what your painting?"

Sehun mumbled a yes and Xiumin put himself behind Sehun to see over his shoulder.

"Is that me?"

Yes it was. The painting was of Xiumin, head downcast looking at his easel, eyes filled with a deep unsettlement, hands mid twirl with a paint brush, finger tips still dyed from Xiumins painting adventure the night before.

It was surreal, seeing himself from across the room in somebody else's eyes in such vivid detail.

"Yeah it's you. Who the hell else could it be?"

Sehuns voice was snarky and Xiumin found himself raising an eyebrow.

"Well I like it, it's really nice."

"Thank you. I thought it'd be a great painting. You looked ready to be painted and hung in a museum so."

Sehun gave a shoulder shrug. He was adding on the last dollops of paint that were creating the wall behind Xiumin.

"What are you going to do with the painting?"

"Enter it in the first tier. There's no way it'll lose, and it fit right into my collection."

Xiumin wondered what really made Sehun paint him when his talent could allow him to create anything he could think of.

"I'm guessing you want to be a painter then?"

"Not exactly."

Xiumin nudged his shoulder jokingly but then quickly apologized when Sehun gave him a cold glare.

"That just means no."

"My mother is a painter, my father is a painter, and I am a painter."

"Not a very bright way to look at things."

Sehun pursed his lips and sighed the smallest sigh.

"It's what is expected of me and I'm good at it to."

"What about the unexpected?"

"The unexpected never pans out properly."

Xiumin rolled his eyes, he dragged the stool that was closest to him and placed it next to Sehun. In response Sehun gave him a questioning look from the corner of his eye but Xiumin ignored it.

"Let me ask you this then Sehun, what do you want? Not what anyone else wants for you."

"Easy. I want to be the next Shakespeare." 


	5. A Danny Danny

Xiumin stood outside the entrance to the Empieral Warehouse. Judging from the outside of the place it used to ship out a variety of frozen food.

Large windows with wooden panes, two stories of drunk, high, horny, high school art geeks running around paying each other minimum prices for each other's art goods. Goods can be interuppted in two different ways.

Inside was blaring hip-hop music. Xiumin had heard that some of the dance majors put it upon themselves to form their own mini competition. Winner gets a free pizza.

Xiumin collected himself and headed in. Someone had strung fairy lights everywhere, spray paint lingered in the air, a wooden platform stood in the middle of the warehouse floor, two large speakers next to it.

Hansol, Seokjin and a few other people stood behind six different tables each of which offered something out. The tables were pushed back along the west wall of the building.

Hansol had paintings none more than 55$, Seokjin had his t-shirts, one girl was displaying some very flashy hand made jewelry, two other girls shared their tables they were offering some sort of poem service.

The last table had some weird looking boy fiddling with a bunch of objects that were unfamiliar to Xiumin. He was only weird because of his attitude and his outfit played a part to.

He only wore white. Which made him very hard not to pick out in the mess of people in the warehouse. Xiumin did really like his jacket though. A white jean jacket was rare, one with embroidered roses was fashionable.

"Xiumin! You showed!"

Hansol got up from his chair behind his booth and gave Xiumin a hug. He smelled like lavender and weed, it wasn't too bad of a combination.

"You gotta met everybody,"

Hansol dragged Xiumin closer to the tables and introduced him with too much enthusiasm but within Xiumins short time of knowing Hansol it was to be expected.

"See that's Seokjin he spends his pay checks on magazines and condoms-"

Seokjin held his hand up and shushed Hansol aggressively.

"Don't make me look too bad."

"Right Seokjin has some internalized-"

Another threatening glare from Seokjin got Hansol to move on and drop the happy sarcasm.

"Lalisa and Amber are the two chicks sharing the table. They can write you a poem out of nothing about anything. They also write letters for all occasions. If you have a girlfriend you need to break up with-"

This time Xiumin was the one to interrupt Hansol not Seokjin.

"Actually I'm gay, so it'd be boyfriend not girlfriend"

"I'm a fucking train wreck Xiumin"

They all laughed and the conversation casually moved back to Xiumin being introduced.

"Soo Young makes pretty decent jewelry for a highschool student. But uh everyone calls her Joy. It's a funny story, only ask her about when she's drunk otherwise you won't hear it."

Hansol himself was buzzed and you could tell that it was only adding to his bright persona. He had everybody laughing and well entertained.

"Way at the last table in the back there is Taehyung. He's ...well he's Taehyung."

Xiumin continued to make his way around the warehouse easily grifting into others bull sessions of conversation. Most everyone was nice.

Him and Mark bumped into each other, Mark was busy dancing with a group of boys though and only had the chance to wave and smile at Xiumin.

He scoured the room and found the way this all worked slightly puzzling. Xiumins old school didn't ever have parties like this.

Even now amidst the light drinking, paint fumes and marijuana no one was getting too rowdy or loud. People seemed to just be hanging out and trying to have fun.

"You stare a lot."

Besides Xiumin, Sehun stood a can of Arizona tea in hand.

"I do?"

Sehun hummed, nodding his head and shutting his eyes like doing so would help confirm what he said.

"It's not bad just a lil freaky. How things going I just got here."

Xiumin had to look up at the other boy just slightly but a small grin stretched across his face just enough to make his eyes crinkle.

For some reason most everyone avoided Sehun. It baffled Xiumin to every extent, Marks warning about Sehun baffled him as well.

The Sehun that was here at the party wasn't the Sehun in the studio. This Sehun was more talkative, not charismatic but definitely striking, he had a defined aura.

The Sehun in the studio was more reserved. More tense as well. Xiumin figured it was because he had been working with his art.

"I had the same piece of chit chat about ten times. My name, my old school, my major, a weird look when I said I didn't paint or draw or create anything."

"Welcome to our shitty art world"

"Don't know if I can say shitty just yet"

There was a short pause in their conversation as Xiumin struggled with a question to ask Sehun. It was something that had been brewing in the back of his mind ever since the day before in the studio.

"Hey, in the studio you said you didn't want to be a painter. So what makes you so good at it?"

Sehun gave Xiumin a sideways glance that Xiumin would later come to call his 'Diva glare' the glare was usually followed by a exaggerated sigh and this time was no different.

"I don't think my paintings are all that good. I don't ever put much emotion in. Every now and then something will spark inspiration but most of the time it's just technical,"

Xiumin was about to interject with something else to say but Sehun kept going.

"It drains a lot out of me, making art I don't love. I have to refuel with a Danny Danny."

A strange mixture of a scoff and a giggle escaped from Xiumins mouth which made Sehun smile.

"What is a Danny Danny? Is that same weird psycho sexual shit?"

"Ew, Xiumin control yourself."

Sehun rolled his eyes, a certain type of teenage grit dropping off of him and his words.

"A Danny Danny is where you watch a episode of  _Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia_ followed by a episode of  _Danny Phantom._ You do that for as long as you can. Back to back. It really gets the creative juices flowing."

"So you call it a Danny Danny because of Danny Devito?"

Sehun snapped his fingers before replying with a hell yeah and walking away to talk to the boy in the white jean jacket at the sixth table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you're laying down the cards to make a dramatic reveal. Trust me more shits gonna start to happen in the following chapters.


	6. Pink And Orange And Green

Xiumin sat casually with Hansol and Seokjin eating lunch on the old bleachers underneath the shade of trees. Xiumin watched other students throw around a frisbee, cluster in the courtyard to chat, one group had a speaker out blasting music.

A familiar white jean jacket came into Xiumins view and he tapped Hansol on the shoulder, pointing out the other male to him. The boy had stood out to Xiumin at the pop up shop, well he was sure Taehyung stood out to everyone, he just wanted to know more about him.

"What's his major?"

Hansol rushed to chew his food but Seokjin responded instead. A look of adoration on his face as he watched Taehyung walk across the courtyard.

"He's in stage craft, we used to have a design class toghter. I'm for him."

"For him?"

Hansol rolled his eyes at Seokjin and waved his hand to dismiss Seokjins comment.

"Taehyung is a physic, and here at SM you're either for him and believe what he says or well you write him off as a freak. Perosnally that voodoo stuff scares me and he's definitely scary"

Seokjin shook his head, smiling.

"No, it's not scary. I let him give me a reading once-"

Hansol's head whipped around to face Seokjin, expression saying everything. A talent of Hansol's was the way he could communicate his emotions so well with just a look.

"You what?"

"He told me that if I want to be successful I need to realize that everyone's success is different. That I need to accept that I will never reach the top of my pedestal. All while looking me right in the eyes."

Xiumin and Hansol shared a glance between eachother, unsure of how to handle Seokjins suddenly serious demeanor.

"That sounded pretty in love"

"Shut your mouth Hansol he's cute"

The three watched as Taehyung walked over to Sehun and for the first time Xiumin actually saw Sehun  _smile._ A real smile, teeth, eye wrinkles, it was genuine and blush worthy.

Sehun had been sitting on one of the many stone carved benches laying on the west end of the courtyard. He had a suede blue notebook in his hands, it was small but thick, a simple heart incrested on the front with round plastic diamonds.

Taehyung and him started talking, Sehun nodding along, Taehyung moving his hands and making animated gestures.

"Xiumin stop staring at them and just go over and say something!"

Hansol laughed a bit at the surprised look on Xiumins face, Seokjin had a fond aspect on as well. Both kept urging Xiumin and he finally gave in with a sigh.

Sehun noticed Xiumin approaching him and Taehyung, he quickly readjusted his shirt and hair feeling the need to impress.

"Hey Sehun,"

Xiumin turned to Taehying giving him a hello as well. He mentioned that Hansol had very briefly introduced them at the pop up shop, Taehyungs eyes lit up in recognition then.

"What you up to?"

"Well Taehyung was giving me some advice."

Both Sehun and Xiumin turned to Taehyung expecting him to explain what Sehun meant.

"Something tells me that Sehun is going to have to open himself up a lot more if he wants to defeat a upcoming trial,"

Taehyungs voice dropped, his face darkened almost and with a very questioning eye directly pointed at Xiumin he continued.

"Sehun has been given a gift from Inanna. A shield, an ally give or take. He can not face this challenge alone, doing so might break his spirit."

Sehuns face had obviously paled a bit, Xiumin as well. Taehyung was more than grave with his delivery of advice to Sehun. It was also a startling coincidence that Xiumin had walked over just in time to hear what Taehyung had to say.

"I suggest lighting candles. Green, orange and pink. Make a investment in roses pick some up on your way home after school."

That was all that was said before Taehyung walked away leaving a strange feeling pooling in Xiumins stomach. Sehun and him watched Taehyung in silence, it wasn't until he rounded the corner of the building that they turned back to eachother.

"Does he give you advice a lot?"

Sehun nodded, keeping his head down. A thought had popped into his head and he was choosing to ignore it for the moment. He wondered if what Taehyung said had something to do with the showcase.

"He's really my only close friend. People tend to think we're intimidating, I think it's what drew us closer. I wish people were nicer to him, too many dickwadds running around here."

Xiumin finally sat down on the bench next to Sehun. The courtyard had a different feeling from this view than the bleachers. It was more distant somehow.

"Any idea what he meant by challenge and trial?"

"No, all I know is that I need to buy some candels. Wanna come with me?"

A smile was creeping its way onto Xiumins face, a nice little outing with Sehun sounded pleasant. His foot drew circles in the gravel, he looked up at the sky to find that dark clouds had rolled in without him even noticing. Most everyone else had cleared the courtyard, even Seokjin and Hansol.

"Yeah, Ill tag along. Met out front after school?"

Sehun agreed but he did have one more thing to ask Xiumin.

"He said that I got a gift from Inanna, do you know who that is?"

Xiumin didn't know, he let that slip his mind when Taehyung had been talking. Was she a student here at SM? Taehyung was a psychic that's all Xiumin knew for sure. That exchange still had him feeling exposed.

"No actually I don't. If I find out Ill tell you."

"Thanks Xiumin."

They said their goodbyes and parted. Class would be starting soon Xiumin didn't like to be late. As Xiumin was walking along the side of the schools building to head back inside it oucured to him to look up Inanna.

**_Sumerian Godess of love and war. She appears in most every tale the Sumerians told, she baffles modern researchers because of her diverse roles. Inanna can create total chaos, wage her wrath, though wrath is what stops injustice. She also represents love, it is something that follows her._ **

"Wrath is what stops injustice."

With a simple acceptance of that knowledge Xiumin took the last few steps out of the court yard and into school.


End file.
